Father Will Run 156-Mile Ultramarathon Dressed As Forrest Gump To Raise Money For Charity

Apr 25, 2019 by apost team

Running an entire marathon is an incredible accomplishment that only a small percentage of people ever experience. There is an even smaller subsection of people that run multiple marathons each year.

Although this choice seems quite irrational to people who aren't fond of running, the feat is impressive nonetheless. While many people run marathons to improve their own health, there are some people who raise money or awareness for charitable causes.

Rob Pope is a father of one who has decided to run across the Sahara Desert dressed up as the iconic character of Forrest Gump. The Des Sable Marathon is 156-miles long and takes place in one of the hottest places in the world.

While the heat may be a new challenge for Rob, the distance should be a walk in the park. In fact, Rob is currently in the Gunness Book of World Records for running 15,600 miles across the United States in 2016. Most people struggle to run this amount in their entire life.

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In an interview with StoryTrender, Rob revealed that he was inspired to dress up as Forrest Gump because of the character's inspiring life story. Everyone loves Forrest Gump for his authenticity and honesty. He also exhibits an incredible sense of strength throughout the whole movie. These were attributes that inspired Rob.

He has decided to raise awareness and money for the two of his favorite non-profit organizations. Rob will be running for Peace Direct and the World Wildlife Fund. Rob is viewing this marathon as another challenge on his continuous journey to raise awareness for causes by which he is inspired.

He thinks that the character and story of Forrest Gump provide the perfect outline for how humans should treat each other.

Rob started running the marathon on April 7th. He is scheduled to return home to his family on the 15th of the same month. Rob is inspired by Forrest Gump's treatment of others. He didn't judge people based on their background, race, intelligence, or any other immutable characteristics.

Although Rob's story has been circulating around the internet, he hasn't heard anything official from Tom Hanks, the actor who played Forrest Gump. Rob is still hoping to receive that call soon.

Watch his unbelievable journey in the video below:

What do you think about Rob's crazy journey? Would you ever consider doing something similar for charity? Let us know in the comments and don't forget to spread this story by showing it to your friends and family.